directions & mis -directions in equity initiatives paul c. gorski 2.28.11
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Directions & Mis -directions in Equity Initiatives Paul C. gorski 2.28.11. A Bit About My Experience. Since 1998 have worked with schools across the US Faculty development Organizational change Assessment regarding equity and diversity. A Bit About My Scholarship. - PowerPoint PPT PresentationTRANSCRIPT
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DIRECTIONS & MIS-DIRECTIONS IN EQUITY INITIATIVES
PAUL C. GORSKI2.28.11
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A Bit About My Experience Since 1998 have worked with schools
across the US Faculty development Organizational change Assessment regarding equity and
diversity
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A Bit About My Scholarship Largely focused on equity and diversity
practice in educational institutions Gaps between philosophy and practice Gaps between “best practice” and actual
practice Common “pitfalls” (or how schools
operationalize “diversity” in ways that create more inequity
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So today I’d like to… Talk about common ways “diversity”
and “equity” are operationalized at schools across the U.S.
Share my thoughts about some of the common pitfalls I have observed (and I and others have documented)
Recommend some of the principles of practice I’ve seen move institutions forward effectively around “diversity”
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COMMON
APPROACHES
TO “D
IVERSIT
Y”
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Common Approaches
1. Celebrating Diversity2. Cultural Competence3. “Support” Programming4. Human Relations5. Equity and Justice
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1. Celebrating DiversityCharacterized by: Surface-level cultural activities and
programming (fashion shows, food fairs) Stereotypical minimizations of
“cultures” (Taco Night) Institutional resistance to addressing
diversity concerns in ways that don’t feel good to most privileged groups
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2. Cultural CompetenceCharacterized by: Focus on learning about cultures, often in
ways that minimize or essentialize them (“Latino culture”; “African American culture”)
Focus exclusively on those in the “minority” while ignoring systemic power and privilege
An expectation that those in disenfranchised groups will “teach” those in privileged groups about their “culture”
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3. “Support” ProgrammingCharacterized by:
Focus on offering support services and programs for disenfranchised communities
Often aimed at retention of faculty, staff, and students
Avoids real systemic, cultural change—sometimes called “deficit ideology” because it’s aimed at “fixing” or “saving” disenfranchised people rather than “fixing” what disenfranchises people
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4. Human RelationsCharacterized by: Structured opportunities for community
members to come together across differences to hear and learn from each other’s experiences (Mix It Up Lunch; intergroup dialogue)
Interpersonal focus rather than institutional focus
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5. Equity and JusticeCharacterized by: Institutional commitment to creating an anti-
racist, anti-sexist, etc., environment through policy and practice
Continual institutional and individual assessment of the extent to which equity and justice or present
Strong, public, and consistent support from campus leaders
Full cultural, social, political, and other access by all community members
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Common Approaches1. Celebrating Diversity2. Cultural Competence3. “Support” Programming4. Human Relations5. Equity and Justice
Where is your school? Where is your unit? Where are you?
* * *
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COMMON PIT
FALL
S
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Focus Exclusively on “Support Programs” Effort is placed mostly on “fixing”
disenfranchised people rather than on fixing that which disenfranchises people Classic deficit ideology Parenting workshops, mentoring
programs, etc.
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Marginalization of Diversity “Experts”Failure to take advantage of
institutional expertise around So, those who want to place effort here
are alienated Sends implicit message that
“diversity” isn’t important, because if it was, the most knowledgeable people at the school would be shaping the policy and practice
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Stuck on “Celebrating Diversity”
Too many resources going into programs which celebrate diversity but which have no impact at all on how equitable or just the institution is Food, festivals, and fun Mix It Up
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Test Score Obsession
Just because an LGBTQ student scores well on a standardized test does not mean she or he experiences school as equitable or just
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Doing “What’s Hot,” not What’s Effective
Adoption of cool or popular (and uncool) paradigms and programs despite lack of evidence that they make a school more equitable PLCs Culture-specific “learning styles”
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Missing Critical Issues
“Diversity” framed entirely around race (which, of course, is critical), to the exclusion of other identities (sexual orientation, religion, and so on) Tough to get buy-in if you’re asking me to
work on an issue that privileges me, but you’re ignoring the issue that oppresses me
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Peace Before Justice
Temptation to avoid controversy or to lean on “conflict resolution” or “peer mediation” rather than responding in a more justice-oriented way to inequity
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Lack of Transparency
So people who feel alienated or who have experienced oppression can’t “see” that the institution is responding, even if it is
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Talk, Talk, and More Talk
Responding to incidents with opportunities for dialogue, but ending the response with the dialogue Lack of attention to policy change,
cultural change, leadership change, and so on
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Lack of Clear Processes
Often schools do not have clear processes for students or adults to report experiences of discrimination Or processes are in place, but many folks
don’t know what they are Or processes are in place, but feel unsafe
to some people* * *
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A FEW
PROGRAMS
& PARADIG
MS WE
KNOW D
ON’T M
AKE
SCHOOLS M
ORE
EQUITABLE
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The “Culture of Poverty” and Other Stereotyped Paradigms
Avoid models which suggest we can know anything about a student based on one dimension of her or his identity
CoP model empirically debunked in the 1970s, yet remains most popular way we talk about poverty in schools today
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Professional Learning Communities Research demonstrates modest
amounts of increased teacher morale and connectedness when done certain ways
No evidence that PLCs play any role in creating more equitable learning environments (or even in raising test scores)
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Student Diversity Clubs Can be great educational experiences
for students if “diversity” isn’t completely depoliticized, but…
No evidence that diversity clubs make any school more equitable or just because these clubs don’t have the power to change policy or larger school culture
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Mix It Up at Lunch Day Fun, perhaps, and especially for white
students
Implications for students of color..?
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Learning Styles Research indicates that teaching
directly to “learning styles” does not help students learn or decrease achievement gaps Mostly because it has been shown to
encourage simplification and stereotyping (especially when culture-specific)
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Others Intergroup dialogue programs Peer mediation programs Conflict mediation programs Respect policies Cultural festivals
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PRIN
CIPLE
S OF
EFFECTI
VE
DIVERSIT
Y
PRACTI
CE
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Acknowledgement
Acknowledge the work diversity advocates are doing and, in some cases, have been doing for years with little recognition and often in the face of strong resistance Worst possible scenario is that these folks
burn out and walk away
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Set Expectations
Leadership (both school and district)must set expectations that people are to do their part to make schools and classrooms equitable, just environments
But equally important, schools need some measure of accountability for those who choose not to “participate” in this commitment
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Make Family Involvement Accessible to All Families
Leadership (both school and district)must set expectations that people are to do their part to make schools and classrooms equitable, just environments
But equally important, schools need some measure of accountability for those who choose not to “participate” in this commitment
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Reject Deficit Ideology
Must focus on cultural change at the classroom, building, and district level rather than trying to “fix” the cultures of disenfranchised communities
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Engage in Policy Review
Inequities often are buried in policy in very implicit ways Pay-to-play extracurriculars Inaccessible family involvement
opportunities Others?
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Provide Safe Feedback Outlets
People who are feeling alienated will not tend to step forward and share their feelings of alienation; they need opportunities to share issues safely and anonymously
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Perform Full Assessment Full diversity assessment should include
various data collection methods (surveys, focus groups, and so on), all constituencies (students, staff, faculty, admin, community, and so on), complete demographics (for cross-comparisons), and detailed disaggregation And really ought to be performed by an
outside group that can do observations, as well
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Place Equity First
Effort on addressing educational inequities must be prioritized Starting with policy and clear indications
(through accountability measures) that racism, sexism, and so on, even when it’s unintentional, is not acceptable and carries repercussions
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Provide Ongoing and Advanced Professional Development Opportunities
Often schools are stuck in the “awareness-building” process, so that the conversation starts over each time—instead, provide a group of dedicated folks with professional development to continue doing the work in a more advanced and sustained way
* * *
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THOUGHTS
, QUESTI
ONS,
COMMENTS, D
ISCUSSIO
N?